Abdullah Khan

 Increasing Trend of Populism in the World Populism connotes a benevolent phenomenon which is, “A concern for the demands of ordinary people.” However, it is often difficult to differentiate between populism and demagoguery.Demagoguery is the antithesis of populism.Moreover, these words are often used interchangeably. Recently, the World has seen a sharp surge in populist movements. The reasons for this surge are several: economic disparity, intolerance, Islamophobia, Xenophobia and many more. Tentacles of populism could be witnessed in Europe, Middle East, Asia, Northern America and Latin America. Before the recent European elections a tide of demagogue-populism was seen on the shores of Europe; but, luckily it did not succeed in sweeping European elections. France, Germany, and Netherlands have averted the crisis but only for so long. Italy is preparing for elections in 2018 and the party that is projected to win, the Five Star Movement, is a demagogue one in the true sense of the word. Spain is facing populist politicians who have held a referendum in Catalonia and are threatening to secede from Spain. Greece is succumbing to the pressure of populists due to mounting economic crisis. These countries have for long remained the bulwarks of liberal internationalist values and ideas but now the trend is changing rapidly. However, the wave of populism that Europe is experiencing is not alien or novel to its land. They have experienced it in the form of Fascism, Nazism, and Communism. Seeing this new wave of populism in a different light is tantamount to hiding their heads in the sand in the face of an imminent storm. Also, it is history which stands witness to the fact that those movements were meant for consolidation of the Authoritarian rule, not for the concern of ordinary people. So this new wave of populism may be considered as different in form but not in character. Europe is experiencing many problems in the form of refugees, economic crises, Euroscepticism, nationalism, nativism, and xenophobia. Pouring refugees have signaled an era of social crisis in Europe and given way to exclusive nationalism and xenophobia. This has resulted in the rise of populist politicians.It is often in the times of crisis that populists garner support. Euroscepticism is a harsh reality and threatening to destroy integrated Europe.Despite the fact that these problems are real and require immediate attention it does not warrant using populism as a tool to exploit people.Nevertheless, all these problems are being exploited to challenge status quo and incorporate intolerance among ordinary people. Resultantly, populism is gaining firm ground and support among people. Victor Orban of Hungary was the foremost leader in propagating the closing of borders on Arab refugees. These refugees are escaping their homes only to save their lives and find a place to survive elsewhere in the global village. Growing Islamophobia due to the association of terrorists to Islam has made European public wary of Islam. However, Orban was not the only one to exploit this sentiment. Marine le Penn of France endorsed the call of Orban along with several other European leaders. Geert wilders campaigned in Netherlands on the basis of his anti-Islam, anti-immigration and anti-EU agenda. Angela Merkel, on the other hand, was a glaring exception and welcomed refugees with hands wide open despite domestic discontent and criticism of rival leaders. Additionally, since 2008 several European countries have experienced mounting economic pressure. Countries with debilitating economies are the perfect playground for populist politicians. Italy, Spain, and Greece are experiencing this strain of populism. Italy, Spain and Greece were the worst hit countries by the global economic meltdown of 2008.They only survived bankruptcy due to financial intervention of European Central Bank and Germany. This gave a chance to populists to undermine the faith of people in status quo. It is always their strategy to sow the seeds of discontent in the backdrop of a crisis. In this scenario, Italy is expected to elect Five Star Movement led by Beppe Grillo, Greece is experiencing socialist demagogues whereas populists of Catalonia are ready to secede from Spain. Another form of fodder for the cannon of populism in Europe is Euroscepticism. Brexit has become the poster child of absolute sovereignty for populists. Brexit was even supported by Donald Trump across the Atlantic. Marine Le Penn promised Frexit(France) and Geert Wilders promised Nexit(Netherlands) in the event of them winning the presidential election. Frexit and Nexit were thwarted however UK is negotiating with EU to delineate terms of its withdrawal. The implications of British withdrawl from European Union are not yet clear but the virtue of absolute sovereignty is still being hailed by leaders like Geert Wilders, Marine Le Penn, Beppe Grillo and Jorg Meuthen. Pooled sovereignty is being bombarded and absolute sovereignty is being extolled by populists. Moving towards the other side of Atlantic, the bulwark of liberal ideas, Globalization and tolerance, USA, has also elected the demagogue Donald Trump to the White House. Xenophobia and Nativism are two terms which encapsulate the full personality of Donald Trump. Trump vowed to build a wall along the Mexican border to stop the illegal immigrants from Mexico. He also swore to ban Muslim and Latin American immigrants. Moreover, he also promised to pull America out of international agreements and responsibilities. US president has been traditionally called the leader of the Free World but these promised policy measures are more in line with those of Authoritarian populists. Consequently, it could be said that these are the rants of a textbook populist-demagogue. To speak against immigrants, who built USA in the first place, is commensurate with shaking the very foundations of USA. Moreover, pulling out of international agreements and responsibilities at this critical time could deal a devastating blow to the international prestige of USA. Another case in question is Latin America. Latin America is more familiar to authoritarianism than it was ever to representative governments. Populism is indeed very popular there. Due to lack of infrastructure, education, stable economy, and culture of representative institutions, it is the perfect breeding place for populists. Nikolas Maduro of Venezuela is considered the epitome of populism in Latin America. Promises of economic stability and social reform become far cries from reality once he was elected. However, Venezuela is not alone and other states like Peru, Paraguay, Chile, and Argentina are experiencing a thrust in populism. The Recent surge in populism could also be traced to the Asiatic Continent. Recently, Masoud Barzani of the Kurd Autonomous Region held a referendum to decide about Kurd independence from Iraq. People overwhelmingly voted for independence. However, the primary reason behind the call for independence was to win the upcoming Presidential elections. Moreover, Kirkuk region is rich in oil, so there was also an economic incentive. However this stunt, in effect, threatens to destabilize the whole region. Masoud Barzani has exploited the nationalistic sentiment of Kurds to further his own agenda. Due to Iraqi Kurd referendum, it is also expected to inflame populist Kurd movements in Iran, Syria, and Turkey. In this regard, Narendra Modi is also a dazzling example. He drummed up support for the office of PM by playing the nationalistic sentiment of Hindus. He extolled the extremist ideology of ‘Hindutva’ and appealed to the masses. His government has banned beef and also started flagrant violations of secularism. Muslims and Christians now feel unsafe in the biggest democracy of the World. The implications of populism turn out to be much more violent in this region even in its preliminary stages. India is known as a cauldron of significant minorities and second largest country of the World. By applying demagogue tactics to appease Hindu masses, Modi has unveiled the ugly face of populism. Post WWII era was marked by the rise of liberal institutions and growing concern for human rights and human security. Populism attempts to threaten the very foundations of Post-War world. Human rights, human security, rule of law, representative democracy and tolerance are just words to the ears of populists. Exploiting the will and sentiments majority are the only things that drive populists. The concept of populism is not new but as old as antiquity itself. However, the destruction, devastation, savagery and suffering that populists of Europe wreaked upon the World should have ringed the death knell of populism. On the contrary, this was not the case. Populism is on the rise again. Demagogues are resurging. For long, Europe has reveled on its form of government, inclusive institutions and tolerant culture. It seems like that celebration is coming to an end. Although some of the populists have been deterred yet the idea of populism is gaining popularity among the masses. It is the beauty of democracy that it represents the popular will but also respects and protects the rights of minorities. Populism derives legitimacy only from the will of the majority. It is not a coincidence that despite the gentle denotation of populism it has always been perceived as evil. It is only due to historical experiences that populism is equated to authoritarianism. Because, populists have almost always morphed into authoritarian rulers. Leaders of French Revolution wanted to bring an era of prosperity to France but they ended up ushering the ‘Reign of Terror’. The people must understand the true intentions of populists and frustrate its advance in order to prevent their subjection to exploitation. Populism in its true form is a benign idea but, unfortunately, it has served the purpose of cloaking demagoguery. Populists believe they have a moral monopoly on representation which makes it calamitous. Europe is experiencing a surge in populist movements and its experience with them has always culminated in a disaster. Throughout the World, populists consider rule of law, human rights and culture of tolerance as obstacles in the way of fulfilling the wishes of the majority. The world in general and Europe in particular stand at a critical juncture to either give way to populism or thwart its advance. It now stays in the hands of people to either divorce themselves from the populists or help them in their advance.